On December 12, the LCLB released Policy Directive 17-05. It includes the following policy changes, which are effective immediately:

Off-premises sales endorsement changes

Under the former policy, LP licensees may apply for an off-premises sales endorsement if they meet either of the following criteria:

Their LP establishment is at least 30 km away from the nearest liquor store, LRS, or another LP establishment with an off-premises sales endorsement, or

They also hold a brewery license, and the manufacturing facilities of the brewery are adjacent to their LP establishment.

New policy: The 30 km distance was originally calculated by the LCLB using a straight line “as the crow flies.” Under the new policy, the 30 km distance requirement will be calculated using the shortest travelling distance by road, ferry, or a combination of the two. If a building cannot be accessed using roads or ferries, the distance will be measured using a straight line.

Existing LPs with an off-premises sales endorsement will not be impacted by the change. The LCLB states this new method of calculating the distance between buildings is more practical, particularly in rural areas.

Licensee Retail Store Relocations

Under the former policy, licensees may apply to relocate a LRS to anywhere within the province, as long as the new location is not within 1 km of an existing or proposed LRS or BC Liquor Store. Within 3 months of submitting a relocation application, the licensee must provide proof that the proposed location has received zoning approval or is actively under review for zoning approval.

New policy: the LCLB General Manager may now refuse to accept an application for an LRS relocation if all of the following circumstances are present:

The application submitted a previous application to relocate the same LRS

The applicant withdrew the previous application

Less than 3 months have passed since the previous application was withdrawn

Under the former policy, there are no restrictions on how many times applicants may withdraw and resubmit an application. This can prevent other applicants who are likely to receive zoning approval from relocating to the area.

The LCLB states this policy change gives licensees the opportunity to apply for a relocation to an area that was previously held by another applicant. This change will also likely reduce the number of “placeholder” applications submitted to the branch, which will ensure administrative fairness and decrease processing times.

Changes to manufacturer guide tours and fraternal societies and veterans clubs were also included in the policy directive. Download a copy of the policy directive here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact ABLE BC at 604-688-5560 or info@ablebc.ca.

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